Loose Ends
by BluSakura
Summary: Prince Siegfried is dying. And in the midst of Fakir's grief, the former knight finds himself bullied by Mytho at swordpoint into busting the Prince out of his castle to live it up and tie some loose ends...


_I know I really should be working on _Curse of the Dragon_ right now, but this prologue just wouldn't stop bugging me until I got it down. I was finished about an hour early during my chemistry final (yay for teachers allowing cheat sheets!), so I found myself writing this out during my period of boredom. I hope you enjoy!_

_This story is dedicated to my mom. Yeah. My mom adores Princess Tutu just as much as I do. After this prologue,_ Curse of the Dragon_ shall continue as scheduled!_

_Happy reading!_

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_Loose Ends  
__Prologue_

* * *

The story is over.

I never actually thought I'd see the end of it. The odds were so poor; it couldn't get past my head that despite the fact that I've courted death quite a few times, I was still alive to experience any form of loss. I expected to come out of this story torn in half, or without hands.

We're no longer so busy trying to preserve ourselves, trying to win against our very fate, and we look around and see how _normal _Kinkan suddenly is. How much quieter the streets are, how human the population became; we are supposed to feel at least some form of elation for survival.

And we did for a while. I was able to miraculously write Ahiru into a girl again, and we've been living together since in our small cottage by her lake. And Prince Siegfried and Princess Rue's kingdom was a mere two days away on horseback.

So why did this have to come now? The tragedy's over. Even better, we won.

Then why…?

The castle's physician had no answer for us. Why would he? Something about a terminal illness, incurable, nothing they can do, they've done the best they could, no longer than a month…

I don't hear the rest of it, partly because of Princess Rue's wails, and partly because I already knocked the useless doctor to the floor with a fist to his face.

The nurse is screaming at me now, and that's fine by me. The doctor deserved it. Besides, they know nothing of what we've all done for our prince. We've dedicated ourselves to him. Our lives revolved around him. Every choice we've ever made was based solely on his existence, and our every decision took him and his wellbeing into consideration. I wanted to protect him, Rue wanted to keep him, Ahiru wanted to save him…

In the end, Prince Siegfried…Mytho was essentially the one who kept us all going.

And now that there is nothing we can do to stop his inevitable demise by a pathetic _disease_, how do they expect us to react?

My world is crumbling now. And I wanted to scream because I've never felt so lost in my life.

It is only when Ahiru presses her cool hand on my cheek that I realize I've been crying. And as she leans her forehead on my chest, I realize I've been shaking, too.

"Please, Fakir," I hear her mumble against the cloth of my white shirt, her quavering voice broken, "Please, it's not his fault…Let's just go see Mytho now, okay?"

But I can't. "…You go. I'll wait out here."

She stares up at me, questioning with her glistening blue eyes, shining with tears shed and unshed. And I wish she would stop looking so hopeless, as if she's _giving up_. I want to be angry at her, yell at her, accuse her of being useless when she was able to save a whole town with the power of her hope alone, and yet here she is, throwing in the towel…

I want to. But I don't. I would make her cry even more. And I would be wrong. Ahiru isn't giving up. She is simply accepting it, just as I should be. Perhaps I've grown too used to fighting against fate. I'm meant to be useless after all.

"He might…wonder why you're not coming to see him…"

"No, he won't." And that much was true. Mytho knew me enough to know I don't like scenes. And while I'm perfectly agreeable to staying here and offering what Ahiru would refer to as moral support, I had no plans of going into that room and watching people grovel.

No, maybe that's not it after all. I had no plans of going into that room and getting tempted to grovel with them.

"He'll want to see you." It's funny how I never expected those words from the Princess Rue of all people, despite her weary, sob-ridden voice.

I clench my jaw. "Later."

And it was much, much later when I finally work up the courage to check on him. It's late, and Mytho's visitors have long since retired for the night, and he was even able to urge the Princess Rue to return to their quarters for a good night's rest. I wouldn't be surprised if it's reaching the early hours of the morning by now.

He should be asleep. That's good. I won't have to talk with him.

So, I get up from my twin-size bed next to Ahiru's and change quickly in the washroom. Before departing, I leave a small kiss on her forehead.

It's dark and quiet in the hospital wing of the castle. I cannot stop the pounding in my veins as I walk into Mytho's room.

"Ah, good evening Fakir. How is Rue?"

Dammit. He's awake. I finally was forced to train my eyes on him. Funny, he looked just as he had yesterday, when I didn't know anything was wrong. Damn deceptive disease, this was. Something in my chest tightens.

"She's…asleep." That's all I can say.

Mytho chuckles. "That's not what I meant."

"…I know. And you?"

He smiles softly in that way that he always does, and my eyes sting. "Well, I'm awake, as you can see."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

I swallow, about to ask something that I knew I can't possibly ask without losing my composure. "Have…have they told you--"

"Yes, they did." His smile grew. He knew I couldn't say it. "They told me."

What do I say to that?

"You know, Fakir, can I tell you something?"

Anything. Everything. "…Sure."

"I can't stand it here." I blink, certain that his answer was not one I was expecting. He gives me a challenging smile and though I'm not used to seeing it, it seems…_right_, somehow. There is nothing awkward about it at all. "All the pretension is driving me insane. People crying the moment they step out of my room, smiling while they're here. The thought is profoundly touching and I love them the way they are. But I'm not dead yet."

I let out a breath. "No. You're not." And I never want him to be.

A grin spreads across his face like a wildfire. "Great! Now get me out of here."

My jaw must have hit the floor. "…Huh?"

His golden eyes tease; he seems to take profound pleasure in catching me off-guard. It was an exceptional talent that only he and Ahiru seem to possess.

"You heard me," he says, starting to lift himself out of his bed, and therefore forcing me to grab his hand and stop him.

"Mytho, _what are you thinking?!_" I hiss, trying to keep my voice stern. But I hear an edge of desperation in my voice; I'm well aware of how determined he is to get out of here.

He closes his eyes, making me stand right in the middle of panic and relief. Is he in pain? Or is he considering my side?

When he opens them, the golden orbs are cold and calculating and lethal.

I looked down at his hands, where, sometime along my moment of distraction, his sword had appeared. And I was soon looking at the tip pointed between my eyes.

"I gave you a choice, Fakir," he says, with a hint of a smile and a teasing tone, "but you didn't take it. Now I'm telling you. Get me out of this place. We can escape with the horses in the stables."

"Mytho-"

"Fakir," His eyes remain intense. "Please."

I could have lunged at the sword. I could have attempted to overpowered him. But the sword in his sure, un-shaking hands, suddenly told me how desperately he wanted this. And my best friend, with a month to live, is going to get everything he damn well wanted.

But I don't have to pretend to be ecstatic about it.

I gave him the most violent glare I could muster. "Your princess will _kill_ me for this."

Mytho's grin turns smug. "I know. As will your duck."

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_Well, that's the prologue! And comments would be appreciated! Now, time to get back to_ Curse of the Dragon!


End file.
